The storm led to some flooding of low lying areas of Poquoson, Hampton and Gloucester. High tides peaked between 9 and 10 a.m. for most of the area. The tide was about four feet above normal, and lower than the tidal surges associated with Isabel in 2003 and Irene last year. The Monday evening high tide, around 9 p.m., is expected to be smaller - closer to two feet above normal. Tuesday's high tides are expected to be only slightly above normal.

The storm remains a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane Sandy was recording maximum sustained winds of 90 mph on Monday. It was expected to slam into the southern New Jersey/Delaware coast Monday evening.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking for a federal emergency declaration for Virginia in order to facilitate federal funding for the state and local governments deal with the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

“I don’t want to delay the process of getting federal Public Assistance to the local governments that need it,” McDonnell said according to a news release. “This is a historic weather event – one we’ve never seen before – and we expect that there is going to be extensive debris and cost in responding to and recovering from this storm.”

The federal Public Assistance program would help the state and local governments fund debris removal and emergency protective measures.

McDonnell’s request does not include federal disaster relief for individuals. Requests for federal disaster relief will be made once total damage to private property is assessed, which can’t happen until after the storm.

Through Sunday night, police and first responders had reported no major incidents or accidents related to the bad weather. As Monday's sunrise approached, all local bridges and tunnels remained open to traffic, but Virginia Department of Transportation crews are keeping a close eye on the next high tide, around 9:30 a.m., to see how the rising waters could affect roadways.

Late Sunday night, unusually high tides closed one lane in each direction on the James River Bridge. Around 11 p.m., the river had risen to about the same levels it reached during Hurricane Irene last year, but without the crashing waves that created such havoc.

Shortly before 2 a.m., all lanes on the bridge were reopened.

Sandy's reverberations in the region steadily increased Sunday into Monday, with strengthening winds, more downed trees, increasing power outages, and significant flooding in low-lying areas.

A coastal flood warning remained in effect until midnight on Monday night. Moderate to severe coastal flooding was likely during the high tide cycle Monday morning.

If the storm brings the predicted sustained winds of at least 45 miles per hour, Gov. Bob McDonnell announced he will shut down bridges in the region. However, bridges remained open in advance of Monday's early-morning rush hour.

Winds at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton were gusting to 41 mph.

All state managed roadways in Hampton Roads were open to traffic as of Monday morning, the Virginia Department of Transportation said. But motorists were cautioned to travel only if necessary.

"We're encouraging people not to try to commute into work (on Monday) if at all possible," said Lauren Hansen, a VDOT spokeswoman.

Earlier Sunday, sustained winds averaged about 15 to 25 miles per hour, with gusts of 30 to 35 miles per hour. But on Monday, the National Weather Service predicts that sustained winds would be up to 45 miles per hour — and gusts could be up to 60 miles per hour.

That's far from hurricane force winds — or sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour. But it's enough to create havoc.

"Saturated soils will increase the potential for downed trees," the National Weather Service advisory stated.

Though coastal flooding was limited Sunday, it was expected to get worse Monday.

"The greatest impact and water levels (are) likely to occur with the Monday morning high tide cycle," the National Weather Service said. "Moderate to severe flooding is expected within a few hours either side of high tide Monday morning."

The water levels are likely to reach 3.5 feet above normal levels, and could be higher in some areas, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.

Hampton Roads saw scattered power outages. Dominion Virginia Power's website said that as of 1 a.m. Monday, nearly 3,282 customers in Southeast Virginia were without power, out of 692,000 customers. Most of those customers, 1,946, were located in Norfolk.